In this paper I will discuss of one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings, “Life Together.” In this writing, Bonhoeffer tells of his experiences with those of the Finkenwalde Seminary and those who lived in the Brother’s House from 1935 to 1937. Bonhoeffer’s treatise seeks to answer questions about Christian life in community, especially under the status of illegality. Before we dive into the book, I believe that it is important to note some context on Dietrich. According to a biography article written by Tejvan Pettinger, it was 1935 in London, when Bonhoeffer was presented with a once in a life time opportunity to study under Gandhi in India. Even though he had this amazing opportunity at his fingertips, he decided instead to return to Germany …show more content…
As believers we make up the body of Christ and without one part it cannot function. Also, as believers in Christ He is the vine and we are the branches, we as a community need Him to sustain us and make us grow. No matter the length of a communal Christian encounter, we can only be a Christian community when founded on Christ and His truths. According to Bonhoeffer, having community with other Christians is of the highest privilege. When in community with fellow believers we are actually living out God’s intentions for His creation. Those who have the gift and opportunity of Christian community often take it for granted. It is only through Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, that we are blessed with community. When we have other believers around us we are able to speak God's Words among and to each other. This allows for accountability, teaching and rebuking just as the scriptures call us to. We must always approach each other through the lens of Jesus, because we have been chosen to be with one another worshiping and praising God for all eternity. When he defines community, Bonhoeffer notes that it is not an idea or something to long for, rather it is a divine reality that we are called to. God is a God of truth, grace and mercy, not emotions. God does not provide us with something to long and wish for. He created us to live in the reality of Christ and His example, allowing us to participate and be actively engaged. Bonhoeffer also notes that community takes spiritual understanding and reality and not simple human reality. Our spiritual reality is formed by God through His Word, giving light to even the darkest of understandings. On the other hand we have human reality which is based on and formed by the desires of the human
How could a family be shattered overnight in the most horrifying way imaginable and the next week a fore sale sign be the only remnant that a family once lived there? This is what started Lovenheim’s fascination with the associations we share with those who live around us. This brings to mind something expressed in the Catholic Update Guide to Faithful Citizenship. Under the Social Justice portion, Mary Carol Kendzia writes, “Equally fundamental is the principle of the human community. Nobody lives all alone in the world and nobody can survive without interacting with others” (Kendzia, p32). While we understand that it is possible to live isolated from others, what Kendzia is conveying is that the sense of community is innate and is what has helped us thrive as creatures of God. To go against this is not conducive to a healthy community. This innate sense of community was ignored by Lovenheim, and possibly all the residents in the neighborhood, until the tragic even that occurred snapped him out of his learned complacency. Now he was on a mission to get to know his neighbors, but not in a conventional
...hat share my faith and together worship Jesus. I believe that by being in fellowship with other believers I will have a strong opportunity to pursue and fulfill God’s purpose in my life, whether it is a daily or lifetime calling.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity.
How does Bonhoeffer’s own life embody what he describes theologically about the Christian Life, in Life Together?
In the face of conflict and evil, it is often difficult to know what path to take. Yet, it is exactly during these moments when one is confronted with the most important questions and decisions in life, those which will eventually influence not only oneself but the rest of the world. In the documentary film Bonhoeffer, we learn about the life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who, witnessing the injustice against humanity, courageously opposed Adolf Hitler. With strong morals, Bonhoeffer became a conspirator against the crimes of the Nazi regime as he was able to understand the world through the eyes of Christ. His passion and commitment to God grew out of a personal struggle when his brother died in World War I. As he found himself in contact with the reality of death, he grappled with questions which encouraged him to explore God and religion in a deeper way so he decided to study theology at the University of Berlin. It was here that Bonhoeffer started to discover axiology and epistemology and looked for answers to questions about the nature of human knowledge and the moral dilemmas of right and wrong. As he built a stronger sense of faith, God became the answer to his questions and the fuel of his actions. By integrating aesthetic elements, illustrating political realities, and challenging ideas of justice and ethics, this movie takes the viewer on a journey to explore Bonhoeffer’s life and the powerful influence he had on the world.
Bonhoeffer begins by claiming that Christian community needs to be recognized purely as a gracious gift of God. Too often, this privilege is taken for granted by those who experience it daily or often. However, to those who are missionaries or in lonely places, the physical presence of a Christian brother or sister alone is a “source of incomparable joy and strength” (19). To them, the words of a Christian are those of God, they receive them with “reverence, humility, and joy” (20). They treat and love their brothers as they would Christ so how much greater is the blessing of those privileged the daily Christian fellowship. Bonhoeffer defines Christianity as “community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ”; it is no “more or less than this” (21). From this truth, flow a couple streams of thought: first, we “need others because of Jesus”, and second, a “Christian comes to others only through Christ” (21). Throughout the chapter, Bonhoeffer develops and further expounds each of the streams.
Recognizing God is a part of our vocation within community can be confusing for us, how can we serve God in the different venues of our life when the world teaches such differing views? We are encouraged to share our witness, testimony, and service within our families, workplace, and our social settings. Family includes the household within our life touching upon each role parent, child, and spouse. It becomes acceptable to compartmentalize the areas of our life and serve in comfortable areas. Consumerism and societal pressures challenge us to withdraw from the Spirit when we feel intimidated, out of place, or even unworthy of God’s involvement in our life. We are called to be “the salt of the earth”, accepting the challenge to unite God’s calling upon our whole-life. According to Migliore, “United in Christ by the power of the Spirit we are one community; we are members of one body and mutually dependent on one another. Recognizing God works with all areas of community unites families, workplace, and social settings together.
The biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy showcases the vast contributions that Dietrich Bonhoeffer achieved during a life that was cut suddenly to short. Bonhoeffer is memorable for his activity within an anti-Nazi resistance, founding the Confessing Church, creating many new theological ideas, and being brave enough to enter back into a warzone to stop the ongoing eliminations of innocent people. Although, he was hung weeks before Germany surrendered and Adolf Hitler was conquered, Bonhoeffer left an important theological legacy.
Himes, B. (2011). Discipleship as theological praxis: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a resource for educational ministry. Christian Education Journal, 8(2), 263-277.
This is because as a community, they are able to express their beliefs as well as listen to the words of the Lord. As Jesus said at his last meal with his disciples before his execution, “Do this in memory of me”. This quote is reflected in the Mass in the stage of ‘being fed’ when an adherent receives both the body and blood of Christ, called Transubstantiation. In this way, Christian adherents are able to unite in a diverse environment following the ways that our Lord has taught us.
Within mainstream society it seems as if there is not a great deal of emphasis on the contributions made by theologians in society, as well as contributions by theologians to religious thought. Particularly in Christendom, ecclesiastical assemblies are so consumed with vain ideas of worship, and content on hearing biblical messages that capitulate to their personal desires, that theological studies are often neglected. Yet the contributions theologians have made in society, and the impact these contributions have had on religious assemblies have been pivotal in guiding religious discourse on subjects such as ethics, morality, and social transformation. It is for this reason, that in this essay an attempt will be made to analyze three essays from three world-renowned theologians of the 20th century. The theologians are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Walter Wink, all of which have produced the essays used for this analysis, and have written works that have completely challenged status quo religion, and changed the landscape of Christendom forever.
Humans are not by nature meant to be unsociable or alone. Rather, “being truly human and living in community are inseparable.” The very essence of human existence relies upon the communal rather than the individualistic. For humans, the only way that a person can become a complet...
With this in mind, the following will focus on the spiritual formation process within the Christian community. The concept of Christian community stems from the Bible with the perspective of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is compared to the humane body, a whole comprised of numerous parts; each individual part is required and created by God to form a cohesive whole, no matter believer or non-believer or social status (1 Corinthians 12). Similarly, the spiritual community is also comprised of bountiful parts and can be customized to the individual as the formation. Ashbrook appraises the significance of individuals and community, “Our spiritual formation is designed by God to happen in the context of Christian community, the chu...
In Ronelle Sonnenberg’s article (Being together in youth worship: An empirical study in Protestant Dutch contexts) she address the community aspect of “youth worship”. The main question asked in her article is “What aspects can be distinguished in the quality of ‘being together’ in youth worship and how can they be understood sociologically and theologically?” while trying to answer this question Sonnenberg and her fellow researchers focused on the social interactions, community experiences and relations within different youth worship gatherings (Sonnenberg, Nel, Kock, & Barnard, 2015). This begs the question “why are community and this sense of being together such an important subject?”; “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”(Romans 12:4-5), here Paul speaks about the importance of this sense of togetherness in Christ, to be as one body. “For there where two or three are gathered together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matt 18:20), in this verse Jesus highlights the
The Role of Community in Society Communities are an essential part of our society, because we all depend and interact with each other. Communities are groups of people that help an individual to learn and develop new ideas. A society is where people’s relations with each other are direct and personal and where a complex web of ties link people in mutual bonds of emotion and obligation. The idea of community has provided a model to contrast to the emergence of more modern less personal societies where cultural, economic and technological transformations have uprooted tradition and where complexity has created a less personal and more rationalized and goal directed social life.